The San Antonio IDAL regional conference took place April 8-10 with instructors Nicola Vigini, Cynthia Davis and Sean Crosby sharing their talent with participants from all over the country.

The Southwest School of Art which is Texas’ only accredited art college offered use of their abundant studio classroom. Located downtown, the Southwest School of Art is close to the famed River Walk.

On Friday, Nicola Vigini returned to the teaching realm to share his knowledge of Metropolis, the Italian plaster company. We we thrilled to have Ed Mattingly of Metropolis assist in the classroom. The workshop was filled to the brim with 19 students ranging from Boston to California. This workshop was product based and Nicola was able to communicate his immense knowledge of plaster.

A Friday evening cocktail party at Club Giraud was sponsored by our long time clients, San Antonio philanthropists and owners of the San Antonio Spurs, the Holt family. Everyone cleaned up and dressed up to enjoy this beautiful space along the river, taking some well deserved time out to meet each other outside of the classroom. Club Giraud helps support the Southwest School of Art.

Saturday Cynthia Davis from Wallovers blew us away with her samples. The students were all so creative using Wallover stencils in ways Cynthia had not seen before. “So exciting to teach such creative people and many have already sold their finishes upon returning home”.

Saturday evening Metropolis sponsored a barge ride on the San Antonio river. I truly believe everyone was awed by the magnificence of our River Walk. There is certainly no other place like it.

Sunday, Sean Crosby taught and entertained his group, demonstrating his renowned faux fresco techniques. One student commented that she wasn’t sure what was better, his jokes or what they learned in class.

Alamo City Artisans is proud to say that 28 participants registered for 44 classes and out of that 28, 18 new members registered to be IDAL members which we hear is a record. Amanda Rogers, Lisa Moon and Cheryl Martinez are wonderful team members who assisted in making the San Antonio IDAL regional a great success.